Metal lath



March 6, 1928. 1,661,642

G. F. VOIGHT METAL LATH Filed March 2. 1925 3 Sheets-SheetZ r T lNVENTORMarch 6, 1928.

G. F. VOIGHT METAL LATH Filed March 2, 1925 INVENTOR Patented Mar. 6,.1928.

- UNITED STATES PATENT ,OCFFICE.

GEORGE F. VOIGHT, F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOF. TO ECONOMY ERODUGTSCORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA. i i

METAL LATE.

Application filed March 2, 1925. Serial No. 12,686.

inter-twisted with the opposite edges thereof, the said body port-ionprovided with shallow, cup-shaped, indentations adapted to form meansfor holding the body portion in outstanding relation against the wall 3sheathing, or the like, of the structure to which the lath may besecured.

A further object is the provision of indentations pressed at intervalsinto the body portion of the lath, the bottom of which embodying one ormore of said intertwisted portions of the wires, said intertwistedport-ions, or a division thereof, adapted to be secured to the wallsheathing, or the like, by suitable fastening means separately applied.

A still further object is to off-set the margins of the lath, wherebythe marginal cables, and the immediate adjacent portions of the bodyportion, will be disposed in the plane of said indentations and parallelwith the plane of said body portion, whereby said cables may be securedto the wall sheathing against which said indentations may be seated,without drawing said body portion out of alignment.

With the foregoing and still further objects and purposes in View whichwill ap pear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in thecombination and arrangement of parts and in the details of constructionhereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes inthe precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be madewithin the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit ofthe invention. a

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view in elevation of aportion of a strip or f length of the lath secured to the wall sheathingof a structure;

, Figure 2 isa View in elevation of a portion of a strip of the lath,with its upper and lower edges over-lapping the edges of adjoiningstrips, attached to a section of wall sheathing;

Figure 3 is a view approximately on line 3-3,Fig. 2;

Figure l is a close-up face view of a fragmental portion of the lathsecured to a portion of the wall sheathing;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectionalview on line5"5, Fig. 4; and

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view on line 66, Fig. 4. j

Referring to the drawings in detail, throughout which like referencecharacters designate like parts: v

The numeral 1 designates the wall sheathing, which comprises a coveringof boards adapted to be secured, preferably in tightjointed order,across the face of the studding (not shown) of a stucco structure;

2 designates my improved lath, whiohI prefer to make up in strips orlengths of three feet or thereabout in width, and from fifty to onehundred and fifty feet in length, and which comprises a plurality oflongitudinally extending wires 3, which are zig-zagged in the plane ofthe lath and have horizontally extending por tions coiled aroundlikeportions of the ad joining wires, whereby are formed intertwistedportions 4, and inclined or obliquely extending portions 5, therebyforming hexagonal, diamond-shaped, meshes or intershoes 6, of whlch saldinter-twisted portlons 4 form opposed sides of the short diameter andthe said inclined portions 5 form the converging sides of the meshes.

The marginal members of the wires 3, that is the upper and lower membersor units thereof, have outer coiled portions 7 twisted around marginalcables 8, the latter extending the full length of the lath aiid inparallelism therewith- 9 designate semi-hexagonal meshes, of which thecables 8 form the'outer or long side, inter-twisted portions 4: form theopposite sides, and inclined portions 5 form the obliquely extendingsides. i

The cables 8 comprise each, preferably, three parallel wires disposed inlongitudinal engagement. However,-if desired, the wires forming thecables may be twistedor coiled around each other, also, if preferred, a

single wire may be employed a cable, or two wires may be used therefor.In the latter case they may be either twisted to gether or disposed inparallel engagement. In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, single heavylines indicate the cables, which may comprise either one, two or threewires. In Figures 4 and 5. the cables are 'epresented by three parallelwires, althtmgh only two' are visible in Figure l.

The object of the cables 8 is to provide a kind of frame-work for thelath, and to impart a certain amount of rigidity time to. As a matter ofeconomy. the wires 3 are preferably of light. gauge, and the lath wouldbe easily drawn out of shape when placed under tension as when applyingit to the wall sheathing, if the cables were omitted.

Into the face side of the lath, intermediate the cables 8, are struck,at suitable spaced apart intervals, shallow, cup-shaped. in dentations10. Said indentations being indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 4., by thebroken lines 11 and 12, of which the lines 11 indi cate the upper marginand the lines 12 in dicate the perimeter of the bottom. In Figure 4: theindentation is further indicated by the shading of the wires fallingwithin the area thereof.

While I prefer to so locate the indentations on the lath, relative tothe meshes (3, that the axes thereof will register approximatelycentrally with the meshes, however, if preferred, they may be otherwisearranged. It is one of the objects of the present invention, however,that the indentations be so arranged relative to the meshes 6, and to belarge enough diametrically, so that at l ast one, and preferably two, ofthe inter-twisted portions 4 will seat lengthwise against the wallsheathing, whereby a nail or an equivalent fastening device may bereadily driven along one side thereof part way into the wall sheathingand then bent over thereacross for binding it lirmly against thesheathing.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a flat bottom for theindentations and to dispose the bottoms in a plane extending parallelwith the body portion of the lath, so that a hammer. or like drivingtool, may engage the wires forming the bottom without engaging anddistorting the walls of the indentations. when driving the nails 11 forsecuring the lath.

The side walls of the indentations 10 are provided with moderateinclines to facilitate forming them. If such walls were made with tooabrupt inclines, the dies when forming the indentations might cause moreor less injury to the wires.

The indentations 10 may be spaced apart along the lath at distances bestsuited to the work to be performed, consideration being given to thegauge of the wire and the size of the meshes. I have found in generalpractice that lath in which the indentations are spaced about eightinches from center to center, nailed at each of said indentations.provides entirely satisfactory recnfol-cement for the stuccocomposition.

The lath is intended to be. disposed horizontally across the face of thewall of the structure. and as several of the strips of lath disposedlaterally are usually required to cover any wall. and as it. isdesirable that the adjacent margins of adjoining strips over-lap and betirmly .--ecurcd to the wall sl'ieathing, I. have found it preferable tooil'- set the margins of the strips in the plane of the bottoms of theindentations i The oil sets to extend substantially the length of thestrips, and to orcr-lap with the otl'-set of the adjoining strip, withnails til at suitable intervals driven part way into the wall sheathing,along the sides of the cables 8, and bent over across the latter to bindsame firmly against said sheathing. Both of the cables 8 are preferablysecured by nailing to the. wall sheathing, independently of the other.

While I have shown in the drawings the. meshes, forming theindentations, as retaining their normal outlines, it. is to be understood that such meshes may be somewhat distorted and drawn out of normalalignment with the remaining meshes. Any such distortion thereof doesnot in the least ell'ect the elliciency of the lath as reinforcement forthe stucco composition.

To apply my improvct'l lath it is simply necessary to stretch the samehorizontally across the face of the wall sheathing, and to drive a nail,or the like, through each of said indentations along one side of one ofthe inter-twisted portions, and at suitable intervals along one side ofthe cables The lath is adapted to form outstanding reinforcement forstucco composition. the latter intended to be applied by spreading itthrough the lath onto the wall sheathing and on and around thereinforcement until a coating of suitable thickness obtained.

I claim:

Metal lath comprising a fabric formed with relatively large meshes, thewires sur rounding certain of said meshes bent into a plane oils-ct fromand parallel to the remaining meshes thereof, the wires connecting saidoll'set' meshes extending diagonally between said planes whereby saidoll'sct mesli-surrounding wires bear in toto against the supportingsurface and any one of said offset wires may be secured to thesupporting surface at will.

In testimony of the foregoing being my own, I have hereunto affixed mysignature this th day of February, 1925.

GEORGE F. VOIGH'I".

